Monday, SEPTEMBER 27

Mercury stations and turns retrograde early today. Mercury will be retrograde until October 18th and will spend the entire retrograde cycle in the sign of Libra. We should be aware that cloudy thinking or confusion can figure strongly during this shift. Communication can be tricky.

However, we grow more accustomed to this energy as Mercury’s retrograde progresses in the three weeks ahead. During this period, we look back, tending to review and re-assess matters. Mercury rules our “lower” mind – how we perceive and interpret information from our environment and how we relay that information to others. Speaking, negotiating, buying and selling, listening, formal contracts, documents, travel, the mail, shipping, and so forth come under its rule. We approach these things differently, and we can be somewhat inattentive to the details we usually prioritize while focusing on those we don’t typically see.

This period is best for reorganizing and reflecting. We look at the world a little differently–through different filters–and can come up with significant inner revelations. It may not be easy to communicate them under this influence, but we don’t need to rationalize everything.

Mercury retrograde periods can be times of heightened inner awareness, when meditation, journal keeping, reworking old plans, and reviewing past work are favored. Minor breaks in the mechanical aspects of communication can reconnect us to other, possibly more meaningful means of communication. It’s a good time to get in touch with what nurtures us and feeds our spirits.

This morning, a Mars-Jupiter minor square can excite our desire to do something new. It can produce some agitation and competitive feelings that can either distract us or spur us to improve. Enthusiasm and motivation can be incredible now if we know where to channel excess energy.

Still, over-confidence and over-estimation of what we can do may lead to poor decisions or regrettable actions. We can also be rather argumentative and reactive with this combination.

Possible misunderstandings and impulsiveness aside, we might find channels for expressing our need for change and progress in creative and unique ways. It’s easier than usual to solve problems or find our way around them as the day advances. The Moon spends the day in intelligent Gemini.